After the gunshot, a brief silence pervades the police station. Then, the man’s body hits the floor and the entire place erupts in a magma of bodies. A police officer approaches Mortimer, a gun held steadily in his hands. “Put the weapon down, or I’ll be forced to shoot you!”

“Would you call yourself an intellectual?” asks Mortimer.

“What?”

“God damn it!”

This is part 17 of Vile, a novel in progress. If you’d like it to make sense, I would suggest reading from the beginning.